Technologies

A practical comparison of communication technologies for resilience scenarios.

Radio Technologies

Amateur (Ham) Radio

The gold standard for emergency communications. Requires a license but offers unmatched flexibility.

HF (3–30 MHz): Global range via ionospheric skip, no infrastructure
VHF/UHF (144/440 MHz): Local/regional, excellent for nets and repeaters
Digital modes: Winlink email, JS8Call, APRS position tracking

GMRS / FRS

No-exam license (GMRS) or no license (FRS). Limited to local use but easy to deploy.

LoRa / Meshtastic

Long-range, low-power radio for text messaging. Mesh networking means no single point of failure.

Satellite Communications

Satellite Options

Satellite comms work when all terrestrial infrastructure is down, but cost and latency vary significantly.

| Service | Latency | Cost | Use Case | |---------|---------|------|----------| | Starlink | ~20ms | $$$ | Broadband internet | | Iridium | ~1s | $$$$ | Global voice/SMS | | Garmin inReach | ~1min | $$ | Two-way messaging | | SPOT | ~1min | $ | One-way SOS |

Mesh Networks

Self-healing networks that route around damage automatically.

Meshtastic: LoRa-based, excellent range, text only
GoTenna Mesh: Commercial, easy to use
AREDN: Amateur radio emergency data network, full IP

Wired Alternatives

Don't overlook physical media when radio is impractical:

Ethernet over long runs with PoE switches
Sneakernet — USB drives physically transported
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) — still works in many outages

Technology Comparison

| Technology | Range | Infrastructure | License | Data Rate | |-----------|-------|----------------|---------|-----------| | Ham HF | Global | None | Required | Low | | Ham VHF/UHF | Local/Regional | Optional repeater | Required | Low–Medium | | GMRS | Local | None | Simple | Voice only | | LoRa/Meshtastic | 1–10km | None (mesh) | None | Very Low | | Starlink | Global | Satellite | None | High | | Iridium | Global | Satellite | None | Very Low |